Viareggio is a seaside resort known for its sandy, wide beaches and the annual carnival. In one of the villages that surround the city, Torre del Lago lived and wrote one of the most famous Italian opera composers, Puccini.
Though the history of Viareggio goes back to ancient times, there is hardly any old town here. One of the defensive towers and a small fragment of buildings have been preserved from the medieval times. Most of the center was thoroughly rebuilt in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when the city began to experience the boom associated with the popularity of seaside leisure.
Viareggio center is primarily sumptuous eclectic, neoclassical and Art Nouveau buildings. There are many historic hotels and public buildings here. The closer to the sea, the more modern the buildings are. Along the beaches there are rows of guesthouses, hotels and holiday apartments. The beaches here are sandy, wide and well-developed. You can rent deckchairs, take advantage of the offer of animators, beach games and water equipment rental.
Viareggio's attraction is also the carnival that takes place here on the last weekends before Lent, with colorful processions and street dancing. It attracts crowds of Italians and tourists from abroad to the city.
In the neighborhood of Viareggio is the town of Torre del Lago, of which Giacomo Pucini was its famous inhabitant. There is the Villa Puccini Museum with memorabilia of the composer, and an opera festival is held every year.
